We continued research on the molecular mechanism of meiotic recombination in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with a focus on three aspects of this complex biological process. We examined the initiation event in meiotic recombination, double-strand DNA break formation, with the aim of identifying the enzyme(s) responsible for break formation, their substrate requirements, and the factors that control the location and frequency of breaks. These factors include aspects of both chromatin and higher-order chromosome structure. A particular focus has been the role of chromosome structural elements, specifically centromeres and telomeres, in repressing double-strand break formation. We are also examining the relationship between meiotic DNA replication and recombination, and have demonstrated a direct mechanistic link between these two processes. We developed techniques to isolate unstable intermediates in meiotic recombination and are currently analyzing their structure. We also studied the relationship between recombination and chromosome pairing and recombination events that occur during meiosis. - Chromatin, chromosome structure, DNA repair, Meiosis, recombination, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, yeast, DNA replication, - Neither Human Subjects nor Human Tissues